Morning of Iris, from the series "Five Festivals in the Pleasure Quarters (Hanakuruwa gosechi no asobi)"
c. 1779
Medium
Color woodblock print; aiban
Dimensions
32.3 × 22.9 cm (12 3/4 × 9 1/16 in.)
Classification
woodblock print
Department
Arts of Asia
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
22523
Art Historical Context
**Morning of Iris**, a captivating color woodblock print by Torii Kiyonaga1752–1815), dates to around 1779 and belongs to his series *Five Festivals in the Pleasure Qu (Hanakuruwa gosechi no asobi. As a master of ukiyo-e—the "pictures of the floating world"—Kiyonaga specialized in bijin-ga, elegant depictions of beautiful women amid Edo-period (1603–1868) Japan's vibrant urban life. This aiban-format print (32.3 × 22.9 cm), taller and narrower than standard ōban sheets, captures a festive morning scene in the Yoshiwara pleasure district, where courtesans and revelers celebrate the iris festiva...
About the Artist
Torii Kiyonaga · 1752–1815
Torii Kiyonaga, born Sekiguchi Shinsuke in 1752 in Uraga, Sagami Province, was the son of an Edo bookseller who owned tenements near a bustling fish market. At age 14 in 1765, he began his apprenticeship under Torii Kiyomitsu, the third-generation head of the prestigious Torii school of ukiyo-e, renowned for kabuki theater illustrations and signage. Adopted into the Torii family, Kiyonaga succeede...